Mexico City's waste-to-energy initiative is positive, says IDB
The implementation of waste-to-energy technologies to treat Mexico City's urban solid waste is a good alternative to address some of the challenges that the capital faces, a water and sanitation specialist at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) told BNamericas.
According to María Eugenia de la Peña, a city as large as Mexico City, and with so many different challenges regarding solid waste treatment, needs to look for innovative ways to solve these problems.
"Although I don't know the exact details of the project, I do know that disposing the waste is not the option (to manage solid waste). It is even a worse idea in a city as big as Mexico City where there is no land available to open landfill sites," de la Peña said.
The fact that local authorities have to dispose of the waste in landfills located in nearby states, which creates significant social and political effects for both the city and the other municipalities, makes it imperative for the city government to think about different approaches to address waste management, according to the specialist.
De la Peña said that the implementation of waste-to-energy technology is a good alternative given that it will also help the city meet its energy demand.
"Many countries, mainly developed ones, are already implementing these technologies. They are now creating energy with 90% of the waste that they produce, and only very small amounts of waste are sent to landfills. I definitely think this is a trend to explore," she said.
De la Peña did however point out that although measures such as the construction of a waste-to-energy plant are efficient alternatives for the city, there are other challenges that local authorities need to simultaneously address.
"Mexico City has to explore other alternatives in regard to recycling because there are still a lot of challenges when it comes to the proper separation for the selective collection of waste. Most of the city's waste is mixed, which is even more difficult to manage."
When asked about the potential for similar types of technologies to be implemented in other Mexican cities, De la Peña said choosing the right waste management approach is a question of scale.
"There are more management options available when you produce a lot of waste than when you produce small quantities. Waste-to-energy solutions such as the plant that will be built in Mexico City work for big urbanizations."
De la Peña said that ultimately one the most important challenges regarding waste management in Mexico has to do with the fact that the country's residents are not charged for the service.
"There are no charges for waste collection, nor a charge for waste disposal, which makes it more difficult to have financially sustainable solutions."
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